While You're Away: A Zel/Amelia Ficcie
by Shira
Summary: The title speaks for itself, folks! As you all know, I LOVE ZEL/AMELIA!! -Shira ^_^
1. A Touching Farewell

I love this ficcie! I love Zel/Amelia couplings! ^_^ 

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Amelia and Zelgadis stood on the wide steps leading out of the main palace building at Seyruun. Amelia was struggling to keep her face as normal as possible, and Zelgadis was slightly impatient. 

Earlier that morning, while Zelgadis and Amelia were searching the Seyruun palace's libraries for books that may help find a cure for Zelgadis's body, they had come across a manuscript written by Rezo, the Red Priest, detailing work he had done on golems. 

Not wanting to waste any time, Zelgadis had asked Amelia to let him use the manuscript to cure his body. 

And now, here they were, ready to say their good-byes. 

Amelia held the manuscript in her arms against her chest. She thought that, if she kept the book with her, Zelgadis couldn't leave, because he was only leaving because of the book. Then she decided that it was no use-- Zelgadis would find a way to get the book anyway. She wondered why she didn't go with him, and then remembered her father's stern orders. 

Amelia suppressed a sigh, and held the book out for Zelgadis. "Promise you'll come back soon?" she asked, her eyes watering up again. 

Zelgadis reached over, and held the book, his hands covering Amelia's. "As soon as I cure my body, I will come back," he said. 

"Really?" Amelia asked, just to make sure. 

Zelgadis nodded, and said, "I promise." As he said this, he asked himself why he was leaving. He could look through the manuscript here, without leaving, couldn't he? Then he told himself that the magic contained inside was more than likely black magic, and wouldn't be as effective inside the white magic city of Seyruun. 

Amelia finally let go of the book, and crossed her arms over her shoulders. She looked behind her at the impatient royal staff, waiting for her to get back to work. 

Zelgadis turned around, and started to leave the palace. But Amelia said, "Zelgadis-san?" He turned around, and faced Amelia. 

Amelia ran over to Zelgadis, and hugged him. "I'll really miss you, Zelgadis-san!" she cried. 

A little shocked a first, Zelgadis hugged Amelia tentatively, not really sure if he should or not. "I'll come right back," he said again. 

"I know," Amelia said. She sniffled, and nodded. When she let go of Zelgadis, he saw tears in her eyes. Amelia wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. 

Zelgadis started feeling very doubtful of his leaving, but he said, "Good-bye, Amelia," and started walking away. 

"Bye, Zelgadis-san! Hurry back!" Amelia said, waving. 

Zelgadis cursed himself, and hurried out of Seyruun as fast as he could. He didn't want to hang around any longer when he could be reading the manuscript. 

... 

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AN: Bum bum bum! Zel left! Oh no! -Shira ^_^ 


	2. Pressuring Princess Duties

Yay! Second chapter! Shira's happy! Hope you like! 

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Amelia watched Zelgadis as he walked away, and kept staring after him until the stewards grabbed her arms, and said, "Come on, Princess! You've got to get out of those horrid clothes before the ambassador from Derrin arrives." 

As she allowed herself to be dragged away, Amelia couldn't help but think of when she would ever see Zelgadis again. And, also, if he would find his cure in that manuscript. 

Back inside the palace, she was pushed, pulled, and prodded by every member of the staff, until she was dressed in 'proper attire' and standing on the dais across from the entrance to the Great Hall, awaiting the ambassador. 

The ambassador walked in. He was a tall, regal man, with shoulder-length, blue-tinted hair. He wore a long white cape over a white robe with a red sash tied around his middle. When Amelia looked at him, she was somewhat reminded of Zelgadis. 

"Greetings, Princess," the ambassador said, bowing, once he reached the dais where Amelia was waiting. "My name is Zeraldas, and I seek a conference with you." 

Amelia bit her lip. Even his name sounded like Zelgadis's. She composed herself, shaking thoughts of Zelgadis from her mind --temporarily-- and said, "Welcome to Seyruun, Ambassador Zeraldas-san. Please follow me to the Council Chamber." She stepped off the dais, and, escorted by at least ten stewards, she and Zeraldas walked back across the Great Hall, and entered the Council Chamber. 

Amelia sat down in her high-backed chair with the embroidered Seyruun crest on it, and said, "Please state your business." 

Zeraldas nodded, and sat in the chair across from hers. He reached into his robe, and pulled out a scroll. He unrolled it, and read, "I, King Readis, of Derrin, propose an agreement between Derrin and Seyruun. In this agreement, you will supply us with..." 

Amelia half-listened, nodding every so often to make Zeraldas think she was paying attention. Mostly, she day dreamed, her thoughts wandering to Zelgadis every few minutes or so. 

"Princess?" Zeraldas asked. He had rolled up the scroll, and set it on the desk. 

Amelia turned back to her work, and said, "Oh, yes... I'll have to look this over later, and give you my answer then." She stood up, giving the signal that the meeting was over. 

Zeraldas bowed, and said, "I beg your leave, Princess." 

Amelia nodded, and said, "You have my leave, Zelgadis-san." Then she blushed, and said, "I'm sorry, Zeraldas-san, I'm..." 

"Not a problem," Zeraldas said, and he bowed again. "I take it I will remain at the palace until you have a reply for me to take back?" 

"Yes," Amelia said. She turned to one of her many stewards, and said, "Can you ready a room for Zeraldas-san?" 

The steward nodded, and said, "Yes, Princess." Then he hurried off to do as Amelia asked. Amelia decided to up and dismiss all of her stewards, because she needed some time to think. 

"If I may be so bold as to ask, Princess?" Zeraldas asked. 

Amelia nodded, and sat back down in her chair. "Go ahead. I'm not really one for formalities. And I'd prefer it if you'd call me Amelia instead of Princess," she said. 

Zeraldas nodded, and sat down again. "Amelia, may I ask who this 'Zelgadis' you spoke of is?" he said. 

"Zelgadis-san?" Amelia asked. She leaned back in her chair, and stared up at the ceiling. "He's one of my traveling companions, and one of my best friends. You just remind me a little of him," she said. 

"So you and this Zelgadis are friends?" Zeraldas asked. 

Amelia nodded. "Mm-hm... I've known him for a couple years now. He had to leave today to... find something," she said. She didn't really want to tell a stranger about Zelgadis being a chimera, but she couldn't bring herself to lie, either. 

Zeraldas grinned, and nodded. "If I have your leave, Amelia?" he asked, standing up. 

"Oh, sure," Amelia said. "Go ahead." 

Bowing again, Zeraldas left the room. Once he left, he nodded to himself, and thought, 'I believe the two of them may be closer than friends, though the princess herself may not know it. Well, I'll have to change that...' 

Amelia sighed, and put her hands behind her head. She was day dreaming again, when someone knocked on the door. "Come in," Amelia said, dropping her hands and placing them on the desk. 

In walked another steward, and said, "Princess, you've got a conference scheduled in a half hour with the director of the Atlas City's Sorcerers' Guild." 

"Right, right," Amelia said, nodding. The steward ran in, and pulled her up. 

"We've got to get you ready, Princess," the steward said. Amelia let herself be dragged out of the room, and down the hall, where she was stuffed into another dress to get ready for another conference. 

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AN: Hope you liked it! I love it! -Shira ^_^ 


	3. A Recipie Book of Cures

HIYA! Another one! Hope you like! 

^^^ 

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When Zelgadis reached the outskirts of Seyruun, he started looking around for a place where he wouldn't be disturbed. He decided on a clearing in the heart of a forest, and leaned against the wide trunk of a huge tree. 

He immediately opened the book, and started reading it over. It was, indeed, in Rezo's hand, and seemed to be the Red Priest's style of writing. But how did the book end up in a Seyruun library? 

Ignoring this, Zelgadis skimmed the Table of Contents. Rezo certainly had put time and effort into this book. Under the list of chapters, there was one entitled, "Reversing Spell Effects." Zelgadis decided that was as good a place as any to start, and flipped through the pages to find it. 

About halfway through the book, and single piece of paper fluttered out, and landed on the grass. Zelgadis picked it up, and looked at it. It was just a blank sheet of paper. There was nothing written on it. He stuffed the paper back into the book, and found the chapter he was looking for. 

It was too good to be true! The chapter gave detailed information on how to reverse the effects of golem spells cast on people and things. Zelgadis was too excited to think about why Rezo had written down such valuable information in such a detailed fashion. It wasn't like the Red Priest to be straightforward about things. But, he was too occupied to notice. 

"Golem spells can go very haywire, and can result in a chimera breed," Zelgadis read aloud. "When this happens, there is a simple method for returning the person or thing back to its original state. This process requires the use of a powerful Shamanist, which may or may not be the target of the process, an Orihalcon beacon, and a black diamond." 

Zelgadis stopped reading. "A black diamond?" he asked himself. He started thinking. Where could he find a black diamond? Those things were awfully rare. He thought back to anything and everything he had learned while in the service of Rezo, and remembered something. There was a small kingdom by the name of Derrin that was said to have a black diamond mine. It was one of the few places that did. 

An Orihalcon beacon was easy enough to find. Almost every sorcerer or sorceress had one, and they were sold for fairly cheap at most magic shops. 

With victory clean in his sight, Zelgadis stood up, and said, "All right! I will go to Derrin, and find a black diamond." He started walking in the right direction, and wondered if he should go back to Seyruun and tell Amelia that it would take a little longer than he thought it would. 

Zelgadis shook his head, and asked himself, "Why am I thinking about Amelia all of the sudden? She knows I'll be gone a while, I don't need to tell her everywhere I go." 

On that note, Zelgadis started heading for Derrin. 

Unfortunately, it was a long way to Derrin, and Zelgadis was very impatient. Now that he knew that he could cure his body, he was restless to get to Derrin as quickly as possible. But it would take several days, if not a week, to get there. 

He sighed, and just kept walking. While he walked, his mind wandered. He thought about what life would be like once he had returned to normal again. He also wondered how Amelia would react. 

"There I go, thinking about Amelia again!" Zelgadis said aloud. "Enough already!" 

After that, he did think, but he didn't let his mind wander. He was now wondering how he could possibly acquire an extremely rare and expensive black diamond. 

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AN: Ooh! How will Zel find his diamond? No one knows! Except me! ^_^ -Shira 


	4. A Tale of Traveling Times

Enjoy! The plot continues! Will Zel get his cure? You won't find out in this chapter! ^_^;; 

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When Amelia woke up in the morning, the first thing she did was think about Zelgadis. About when he would be coming back. She missed him terribly already, and she didn't know how long it would take for Zelgadis to find a cure for his body. 

Amelia yawned, and got out of bed. Without thinking, she dressed in her casual clothes instead of her formal dresses, and left her room. 

She put her hands behind her head, and started wandering around. She didn't know if she had anything planned for the day, and she didn't really care. Today was one of those days where she felt that she could spend the entire day out in the garden, staring at the flowers. 

"That's it!" she said. "I'll go down to the garden and spend some time there! I wonder if they fixed that gazebo yet... I love looking down on everything from there." 

With that, Amelia turned and ran through the palace halls, ready to spend a great day outside. But, she wasn't watching where she was going, and she ran headlong into something. She fell backwards, and landed on her bottom. She winced, and looked up at what she ran into. Or, rather, whom. 

"Princess? Uh, I mean, Amelia?" Zeraldas asked. He held out his hand to help Amelia back up. 

Amelia took his hand, and was pulled to her feet. "I'm sorry," she said. "I was just..." She didn't know how to explain that she didn't feel like being the princess today. 

Zeraldas smiled, and said, "Trying to escape official duties?" 

"Exactly!" Amelia said. "It's awful! I've never been much of a princess, because I like traveling a whole lot more, and all these annoying stewards keep trying to prim me up like a doll or something, and try to get me to act more like a princess!" 

Amelia and Zeraldas started walking, Amelia still intent on spending the rest of the day at the garden. 

Zeraldas looked down at her, and said, "You know, when you aren't dressed up, you really don't even look the part of princess." 

"I know, I know," Amelia said, looking down at her traveling clothes she accidentally put on. "The stewards keep begging me to get rid of these clothes, but I feel much more like me when I wear these. I truly don't like acting like a princess." 

"I know how you feel," Zeraldas said. "Not many people know, but I was once a prince." 

Amelia looked up at him. She looked at his smiling face for a moment, before she said, "Yes, I can see how you might have been a prince. Wait! A prince of where?" 

Zeraldas chuckled a little at Amelia's naiveté. "Of Derrin, of course," he said. 

"Oh," Amelia said. She stared straight ahead, and said, "I wish I could get rid of the throne, and just travel, like you." 

Before Zeraldas could answer, they reached the gardens, and Amelia cheered up a great deal. Forgetting she was in the presence of a very important person, she ran off towards the repaired gazebo, and Ray Winged up to the top. 

Amelia stood atop the tall gazebo, and looked all around the garden. "Wow! I haven't been up here in ages! The entire garden has changed!" The she remembered Zeraldas, and said, "Oops!" She levitated off her wonderful viewpoint, and ran over to Zeraldas. "I'm sorry!" she said. 

Zeraldas looked down at her, and asked, "You can use magic?" 

"Huh?" Amelia blinked. She thought everyone knew that. "Oh, yeah..." 

"Wow," Zeraldas said. "In Derrin, magic is very uncommon, and isn't practiced much. I'm always amazed when I see new people using magic." 

Amelia smiled. "Then I know you'd like to meet some of my traveling companions. Zelgadis-san, Lina-san, Filia-san, and Sylphiel-san can all use magic. And Gourry-san has the Sword of Light." 

Zeraldas blinked. "One of your friends has the Sword of Light?" he asked, amazed. 

Amelia led Zeraldas over to a bench, and said, "Oh, yes! Gourry-san's a great swordsman. And Lina-san is a very powerful sorceress. She killed one part of Shabranigdo, and Gaav and Hellmaster. And Zelgadis-san--" 

"Lina? You mean the infamous Lina Inverse?" Zeraldas asked incredulously. "You're friends with HER?" 

"Yeah..." Amelia said. "I know she has kind of a bad reputation, but she's not at all like the rumors say." 

After Amelia calmed Zeraldas down a little bit, he said, "You were about to tell me about Zelgadis. He came up before, didn't he?" 

Amelia nodded, and said, "Yeah. Zelgadis-san is sort of self-reserved, and he gets gloomy a lot, and he does anything he can to try to find his cure, but I think he really is a nice person once you get to know him." 

"Cure?" Zeraldas asked. "Cure for what?" 

Amelia hit her head with her palm, and said, "Oops." 

"What do you mean, 'oops'?" Zeraldas asked. "Is there something you don't want people to know?" He unknowingly scooted an inch closer to Amelia. 

Amelia, however, noticed him scoot, and slid herself over the other direction a little on the bench. She rested her chin on her hands, and stared forward. "Zelgadis-san doesn't like people to know," she started. "I don't think I should tell. He's out looking for his cure now. He'll be back soon, and he'll be back to normal, and then it won't matter." 

Zeraldas nodded, and wisely remained silent. 

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AN: Like I said, no Zel in this chapter! Sorry! -Shira 


	5. A Depressing Discovery

Read on! There's more Zel in this one! ^_^ 

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Zelgadis was now on his fourth day of travel, and he would reach Derrin tomorrow afternoon. He had gone faster than he had planned in his excitement, and was a few days ahead of schedule. 

He was now anticipating the process in which his body would be returned to normal. He also caught himself thinking of how Amelia would react when he went back to Seyruun as a normal human. When he found himself doing this, he shook the thoughts of Amelia from his mind. 

"Why do I keep thinking about her?" he asked himself on his final day of journeying. He was only a few hours away from Derrin. "Why?" While he walked, he tried to figure it out. Nothing came to mind. It wasn't like there was anything to worry about-- she was safe in the Seyruun palace. She wasn't in any danger, and if she wasn't, then there was no need to think about her so much. 

So, whenever Zelgadis found himself thinking of Amelia, he just shook those thoughts away, and redirected his mind to more important matters. 

After a few more hours of walking at a quick, steady pace, Zelgadis found himself at the border of Derrin. Despite it being famous for its black diamonds, it was stil a very small place. To some people it was considered a large town, and to others it was a small kingdom. Either way, Zelgadis could get what he needed there. 

Zelgadis walked into the town with his mask and hood on to hide his face, and started wandering around, looking for any place with black diamonds, of even the mine itself. 

Luck was with him, and he found a jewler in a booth beside the road. Zelgadis walked over there, and looked at the merchandise. There was one black diamond, set into a silver band, and was being sold as a ring. 

"May I help you, sir?" the vendor asked, smiling widely and nodding. 

Zelgadis asked, "How much for the black diamond ring?" He pointed at the ring to make sure the vendor knew what he was talking about. 

"Hmm..." the vendor thought, touching a finger to his chin. "Well, sir, since that's a black diamond you're asking for-- they aren't very rare around these parts. The regular diamonds are much more difficult to find around here. Yes, yes, I know, not many travelers would think that, but-- Anyway! For the ring, I'll charge you 1000GP. How's that?" 

Zelgadis, expecting something much higher, quickly agreed. He was a little shocked that the vendor could talk so long without taking a single breath, but he handed over a sack of gold, and took the ring. 

The vendor asked Zelgadis to wait, and said, "I like you. I'm gonna let you have something else here, too. Anything you want." 

"All right..." Zelgadis said uncertainly. He turned back to the table, and looked at what was left. There was an emerald and gold necklace, a golden diamond-set ring, a pair of silver and diamond earrings, and a ruby and gold bracelet. He picked up the diamond-set ring, and admired it. Whoever had crafted it was very skilled, indeed. The gold band was etched with the maker's initials on the bottom, and the diamond was flawless. "I'll take this," he said. There wasn't anything else worth getting, anyway. 

"Got a lady waiting for you somewhere, lad?" the vendor asked, winking. 

Zelgadis blushed, and said, "No," before he turned around and left. He stuffed both rings in his hip-bag, and started looking for a place that would sell an Orihalcon beacon. 

He found the place quickly enough, a simple magic-shop, and walked inside. He looked along a wide shelf at different Orihalcon statues, and picked one in the shape of a dragon. He payed for it at the counter-- it wasn't very expensive-- and then left the town of Derrin as quickly as possible. 

Zelgadis looked around for a secluded spot. He found a small cave that didn't go back very deep, but was wide and tall enough for him to be comfortable in. He sat down against the edge of the cave, and opened the book again. It was a little dark, so he sent a light spell above him, and opened back to the chapter he had started earlier. 

"Contained in this book is what appears to be a blank sheet of paper..." Zelgadis read. Then he remembered that sheet that had fell out earlier. He flipped through the pages of the book, and found the sheet, and set it on the floor in front of him. 

"This seemingly blank paper actually has detailed steps written on it to describe the process. For safe keeping, I have written it on this moon-paper. The writing on this paper can only be read if held up to the May full moon..." 

Zelgadis's spirits suddenly fell through the floor. The May full moon had been two nights ago. He remembered, because the light from the moon allowed him to travel late into the night. 

Furious, Zelgadis crumpled up the paper, and punched his fist into the stone floor. "Dammit all!" he shouted. "I missed it by two days! TWO DAYS!" He stood up, and stalked out of the cave. He would now have to wait an entire year before he could find out the process for his cure. 

Zelgadis calmed down, and took a steady breath. He decided that he should put the book somewhere until next year, lest something happen and he lose it or it gets damaged. 

Looking around, Zelgadis settled on that cave. He put the moon-paper back into the book, and put the book at the back of the cave. 

"Damu Bras!" Zelgadis shouted. He aimed it at the cave, which collapsed over itself. Then Zelgadis put a powerful protection spell over the whole thing, and turned away from the scene angrily. 

He wondered what he should do now. He told Amelia he'd be back after he had cured his body, so he couldn't go back there, could he? Well, why not? He figured Amelia could stand it if he had to stay the way he was for another year. 

So Zelgadis headed back to Seyruun, and he was pretty depressed. When he thought of what Amelia would say were she with him right now, it made him smile a little. So on the trip back, he cherished the thoughts he had of Amelia, because they cheered him up a little. 

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AN: Yay! Zelly-chan popped in! Hehe! -Shira 


	6. The Naughty Neighbor

We are nearing the climax! Bum bum bum... 

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*@* 

(-) 

Over the next couple of days, Amelia and Zeraldas got to know each other better, and met at the gardens several times to talk. Zeraldas often inquired about Zelgadis and his cure, but Amelia didn't tell him. It wouldn't matter once Zelgadis came back with his cure. 

One day, Amelia and Zeraldas were sitting on the bench in the garden, just staring at the flowers. Amelia was day dreaming again, and wasn't even looking at Zeraldas. 

Zeraldas took advantage of this, and scooted closer to Amelia. He stretched his arms over his head, and absently draped one over Amelia's shoulders. 

Amelia turned to face him, and said, "What are you doing?" 

"Nothing," Zeraldas said. "Just stretching." 

"Well can you please take your arm off of me?" Amelia asked him. 

Zeraldas shrugged, and put his hands behind his head. Amelia slid along the bench until she was leaning against the wall at the far end, and went back to her day dreaming. 

Slightly angry with himself, Zeraldas moved so that he was sitting right next to Amelia. When Amelia faced him to ask that he please move away, he held her behind her head, and kissed her. 

Amelia was shocked at first, and then she started trying to push away from Zeraldas. But Zeraldas wouldn't let her go, and kept kissing her. 

(-) 

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AN: Ooh! Bad Zeraldas! Shame shame! Kissing the princess! -Shira 


	7. All's Well that Ends Well

The last chapter... you find out everything! That isn't already founded out... ^_^;; 

=+= 

^=^ 

+~+ 

When Zelgadis reached Seyruun, he was immediately surrounded by several of Amelia's stewards. 

"Welcome back, Master Zelgadis," they all said. "The Princess has been anticipating your arrival. We believe she is in the gardens. Would you like us to escort you there?" 

Zelgadis shook his head, and said, "I can go there on my own." 

The stewards all nodded, and then seperated, and started working on idle duties. 

Zelgadis walked up the wide stone steps where he and Amelia had said their good-byes just about two weeks ago, and started down the long hallways. He knew where the garden was. Amleia had shown it to him once, explaining how an accident she had resulted in the destruction of her favorite gazebo. 

When he reached the gardens, he started looking around for Amelia. He found her. What he saw made him extremely depressed. 

Amelia was kissing some other man with shoulder-length blue hair, and a white cape. 

Zelgadis just stared for a second, until he noticed that Amelia was trying to get away from the man. She was shoving against him, trying to push away, but the man didn't let her go. 

Zelgadis clenched his hand into a fist, and was filled with intense anger. He stalked forward into the garden, and over to Amelia and the stranger. 

When Amelia saw Zelgadis again, her eyes widened, and she tried even harder to get away from the man's grip. 

Before the man knew what was going on, Zelgadis had grabbed him by the shoulder, and turned him around. The man just stared for a second, before Zelgadis punched him in the face. 

Amelia sighed with relief, and scrunched up in the corner of the bench, and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. 

Zelgadis stomped over to where the man was lying on the ground. "What the HELL do you think you were doing to my Amelia?" he demanded. He reached down and picked the man up by his collar, and roughly pulled him to his feet. 

The man shoved away from Zelgadis, and said, "What makes the Princess 'yours'? You have said no vows, exchanged no rings, which makes neither of you belong to the other." 

Zelgadis took a slow, controlled step closer, and said, "Who - are - you?" 

Standing taller, the man replied suavely, "I am Zeraldas, the Ambassador for Derrin. Who, may I ask, are you?" 

"Derrin, huh?" Zelgadis asked, ignoring Zeraldas's question for the moment. "You should tell your King to have more control over your vendors." 

At Zeraldas's blank look, Zelgadis said, "One jewler gladly sold me an item for at least half of what it was worth, and gave me another item that must have cost three times the first." 

Zeraldas was stunned, and obviously did not know of this. He composed himself, and asked again, "Who are you, sir?" 

"My name is Zelgadis Greywords," Zelgadis said. He pulled back his hood, and pulled down his mask. "Please to meet you," he said mockingly. 

Zeraldas pointed, and asked, "You're Zelgadis?" 

Zelgadis nodded, a little confused that the other man knew his name. 

"But-- but-- but--" Zeraldas started. 

"Shut up," Zelgadis said. He punched Zeraldas again, knocking him down. Before Zerladas could get up, Zelgadis drew his sword, and pointed it at the ambassador's neck. "I get it. You came here on a business venture, and fell for my Amelia. You heard her talk about me, but figured that since I was away, you would take advantage of that, and go after her. Didn't you?" 

Amelia stood up, and got in a place where she could better see what was going on. "Zelgadis-san..." she said quietly. She was blushing a little bit. 

"Answer me!" Zelgadis said, inching the sword closer to Zeraldas's neck. 

Zeraldas grinned, and said, "You're wrong. I was sent here on a business venture, yes, but the object of my business was the Princess Amelia. You see, I am also the Prince of Derrin. I was sent by my father, the King, to win the Princess's heart, marry her, and then become king of both Seyruun and Derrin." 

Amelia gasped when she heard this, and glared down at Zeraldas. She ran over to stand next to Zelgadis, and pointed down. "You are en evil villian with evil ambitions! You toyed with my heart for your own advantages! By any other name, that is pure evil!" 

Zelgadis looked over at Amelia, and said, "What should we do with him?" 

"Well," Amelia said. She stared down at Zeraldas's pleading face. "I say we lock him in the dungeons for the rest of his life." 

Zeraldas's face showed pure fear at that prospect. 

"Sounds like a good deal to me," Zelgadis said. 

"Wait! I can't go in a dungeon! I'm a Prince!" Zeraldas shouted from his position on the ground. 

Zelgadis sighed, and shouted, "Burst Rondo!" Zeraldas ended up charred, but he was still very much alive. "Listen, Prince Zeraldas. Anyone who can be accused of a crime and found guilty is worthy of being sent to the dungeons, royalty or not." 

"Exactly!" Amelia said. "Don't think that you can get away with being evil just because you're a Prince." Amelia snapped her fingers, and about six stewards appeared out of nowhere. "Take this man to the dungeons. He has been accused and found guilty of assaulting the Princess," she said officially. 

The stewards nodded, and together, they managed to get Zeraldas out of the gardens, and started wrestling down the hall to get him to the dungeons. 

Zelgadis sheathed his sword, and Amelia shouted, "Zelgadis-san! I'm glad you're back!" She ran over and hugged him around the middle. 

This time, there was no hesitation in Zelgadis's return hug. 

Amelia stepped back, and said, "You said you were off to find your cure?" 

Zelgadis mentally cursed. He knew that Amelia would be upset that he didn't find a way to return himself to normal. "Well," he started. "The process has to take place on the May full moon, and it had already passed by the time I read about it..." 

"Good!" Amelia said, smiling. "I think you're much cooler the way you are now!" 

Zelgadis was momentarily stunned. All this time he had thought Amelia wanted him to find his cure. He got over his shock, and said, "Oh. In Derrin, I got this for free, and I figured I could give it to you..." He reached into his hip-bag, and held out the gold diamond-set ring. 

Amelia's eyes twinkled, and she said, "Wow! Thank you, Zelgadis-san!" She took the ring, and slipped it on her finger. Amelia suddenly looked stern, and, her hands on her hips, said, "Don't you ever leave again, Zelgadis-san! You never know what might happen!" 

Zel smiled, and nodded. "I promise," he said, and he honestly meant that. For the time being. 

+~+ 

^=^ 

=+= 

AN: Like it? Do ya? Do ya do ya do ya? I LOVE Zel/Amelia ficcies! *sigh* they make the perfect couple! And you obviously agree with me, or else you wouldn't have read this! ^_^ 

-Shira 


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